


It Starts With Love and it Ends With You

by mill_dawn_1999



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Adam's POV, Adam's sad a little bit, Adam/Shiro centric, First Love, Galaxy Garrison, Kerberos Mission, Light Angst, Love at First Sight, M/M, Reunions, Season 7 fix-it, soft adashi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-16
Updated: 2019-01-16
Packaged: 2019-10-11 09:25:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17444225
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mill_dawn_1999/pseuds/mill_dawn_1999
Summary: Adam fell in love with Takashi when he was starting at the Galaxy Garrison and has never stopped loving him. Takashi decides to leave for the Kerberos mission and Adam is crushed. But waiting for Takashi to come home was the best decision Adam has ever made.





	It Starts With Love and it Ends With You

The Falling

Adam remembers the moment he laid eyes on Shiro.   
It was the first day of school at the Galaxy Garrison; Adam was sitting in his physics class, digging through his backpack to find his notebook and pencil. Just as the teacher began to speak, the door swung open to reveal a panting boy, “sorry.” he said sheepishly, pink dusting his cheeks. The teacher glares at him and points to the open seat right next to Adam.  
As the boy approaches the seat, Adam feels his heart rate increase and heat rise up the back of his neck. Adam couldn’t tear his eyes from this boy; he is tall with broad shoulders, dark hair that Adam would love to run his fingers through, smooth skin with the smallest hint of pink on his cheeks and eyes that looked like sunlight that would slip through the curtains at golden hour. He was the most beautiful boy Adam has seen in his fifteen years of living.  
The boy sat down and looked over shyly at Adam. Adam felt his face flush but smiled at him. He was apparently feeling pretty brave so Adam leaned over slightly and whispered, “Don’t worry about him,” he said and glanced at the teacher and continued, “I heard he’s always got a stick up his butt.” The boy snickers and covers his mouth quickly, “I’m Adam, by the way.”  
“Shiro.” He says and gives Adam a small smile.   
Adam is already falling.

It’s about five months into the school year and Adam is on all fours, crawling out of line of sight under a window in the Garrison hallways with Shiro right behind him. Ever since that first day of class, Shiro and Adam have become inseparable. The best of friends, doing everything together; going to classes, to lunch, doing flight simulators together, and even sneaking out of the Garrison together.   
This is not their first time doing this. They always sneak out in the middle of the night to go up to a little cave that they found in the side of the mountain right next to the Garrison that has the best view of the stars that either of them have seen. They go and look at the stars and talk about everything and nothing.   
Tonight, when they get to the cave, Adam looks over at Shrio who is sitting next to him, legs stretched out in front of him and arms behind him to keep him upright. They’re looking out into the night sky and Adam can’t help but think that Shiro is so beautiful in the light of the moon. The light from the stars cast shadows on Shiro’s face that highlight his sharp jawline and cheekbones. He wears a soft smile on his lips when looking into the vastness that is space, Adam would say it’s almost a look of longing. Like this boy would give anything to go up there and explore every corner of the universe.  
They sit in silence for a while, not a bad silence though, a warm and comfortable one. They both sit and look out into space until Shiro speaks up and says, “I hope we both get to go up there one day,” He pauses the adds “Together.”  
Adam looks over once more and his eyes meet Shiro’s piercing gaze, “I do too, Shrio.” Adam says longingly.  
Shiro says nothing else but Adam thinks he notices Shiro scoot closer to him where they sit. Adam can’t be sure because he is so fixated on looking into Shiro’s honey brown eyes.   
Suddenly Shrio is so close that Adam can feel his breath on his own lips. Adam’s heart rate spikes and he can feel the pink dusting his cheeks but he doesn’t care, he just keeps looking and looking and looking into Shiro’s eyes.  
“Call me Takashi.” The other boy whispers.  
Takashi then leans in just a fraction and suddenly their lips are brushing together. Adam leans in for more contact, bringing his hand up to cup Takashi’s jaw in his palm. His skin is smooth, just like he imagined it would be. Adam moves that same hand to the back of Takashi’s neck, his fingers meet the short hairs on the back of his neck. The hair is soft, just like he imagined it to be. Adam moves his lips against Takashi’s so they fit together like two puzzle pieces. His lips are warm, just like he imagined they would be.  
The kiss doesn’t last too long but the moment Takashi pulls away Adam whispers, “You are so beautiful, Takashi.”   
Adam never thought he would be waxing lyrical about how beautiful Takashi is at only fifteen years old but here he is, falling so fast and so hard that he doesn’t know how he’ll ever stop. Adam can’t say it but he knows, deep down, that he loves this beautiful boy in front of him and he doesn’t ever want to stop loving him.  
Almost every night after the two boys kissed, Adam would sneak into Takashi’s room because he doesn’t have a roommate but Adam does. Adam loves sleeping next to Takashi, it’s probably one of his favorite things. The warmth of his body pressed up against Takashi’s, the sloppy kisses left of lips, necks, and anywhere else the two could find, the late night laughs and smiles the two would exchange; Adam loved everything about it. He had Takashi to himself every night.

Adam and Takashi decide to keep their relationship a secret.  
Not because it wouldn’t be allowed at the Garrison, they just wanted to keep things and have each other to themselves. They also thought it was kind of fun and risky to sneak around everyone; give each other secret smirks or sly touches in class or in the hallway.  
But Adam finds it the hardest to keep it a secret when he is in a flight simulation with Takashi. It happens pretty often which throws Adam off but he knows he works his best when Takashi is with him. Takashi is always in the pilots chair and Adam is always in the copilot seat, right next to him.  
Adam would sneak glances at Takashi as much as he could without jeopardizing the simulation. When he would look over, Adam could see the pure adrenaline in the way Takashi moved his controls, he could see the slight smirk that always sat on his lips and Adam could see the lighting in his eyes when Takashi looked over at him. Adam knew this is where Takashi was meant to be, doing what he was meant to be doing.   
The way Takashi moved through procedures and commanded everyone else on the team to do their job, Adam could tell his was a born leader. His decisions were made with the precision of a markman, his movements made with the gracefulness of a dancer and his voice as cool as ice when speaking. Adam wanted to be his copilot for his entire life.

Three years later  
The Right Time

That night, the words felt right.

Takashi asked Adam to move in with him last year. It was probably the easiest decision Adam ever made. Adam wanted to be able to wake up to Takashi’s voice every morning, his eyes, his arms, his warmth. Some of Adam’s fondest memories are in the little, dinky apartment that Takashi and him have rented out. His favorite memories are at night when him and Takashi are laying in their queen sized bed, barely big enough for both of the tall men, limbs tangled around one another's and Adam’s head laying on Takashi’s chest, hearing the “badum, badum, badum” of his heart against his ear, Takashi holding Adam tightly like he could slip away any moment. The blinds would be closed, softening the lamp-light from outside their bedroom window and every once and a while a car would ride by and the headlights would light up the room for only a second making it bright then dark again all in one moment. It almost reminded Adam of a shooting star, the soft light brightening the room like constellations and the car’s headlights shooting through quickly and momentarily like a shooting star.   
It’s nights like these when Adam would be so close to spitting out a proposal to Takashi. The words would be on the tip of his tongue but he could never seem to let them flow out. It’s not that he thought Takashi would say no, Adam just thought it wasn’t the right time for some reason, he wanted it to feel right but none of those moments did.  
Until one night, it felt right.   
Adam was lying in Takashi’s arms once again, feeling the beating of his heart and the warmth of his body when the words finally felt right. They finally seeped out of his mouth like a secret, “Takashi?”  
He responds with a soft hum from the back of his throat.  
He knows he doesn’t have a ring or a grand proposal like he should have but if he didn’t do this now, he wasn’t sure when he could find the nerve in the future. And he wanted this now, in this moment, he wants Takashi now, “Will you marry me?”  
Takashi immediately sat up pushing his palms into the bed to keep himself upright. He looked at Adam with wide eyes, pink cheeks and an slack mouth, “W-what.”  
“Marry me.” Adam said with a little smirk on his face, soaking in Takashi’s shocked reaction.  
“I- yes. Yes! Yes, let’s get married!” His eyes light up and suddenly he is rolling on top of Adam, pressing soft kisses all over his face.   
“I don’t know-” kiss “where that” kiss “came from” kiss “but Yes” kiss “of course i’ll marry you.” Then Takashi finally presses a kiss to Adam’s lips, breathing in the kiss, soaking in every ounce of Adam and the words that he just spoke.  
A laugh bubbled out of Adam and he couldn’t help the tears that were forming in the corners of his eyes, “I’ll get a ring soon, don’t you worry, babe.”   
Takashi stopped the kisses and looked at him with the most love Adam has ever seen in his life, “I love you so much.” he says with both his palms wrapped around Adam’s cheeks.  
“I love you, Takashi Shirogane.” 

Adam couldn’t believe it. He couldn’t wrap his head around the thought of Takashi going on the Kerberos mission. Just three months after Adam’s proposal, Takashi decides to abandon him. To risk his life on this mission that will shoot him the furthest anyone has ever been into space. Takashi has just broken the news to Adam and he didn’t know what to do except for yell at Takashi and lock himself in their bathroom so he could try and wrap his head around this.  
With his head in his hands, Adam cries silently until salty tears pool into the palms of his hands. Why would he do this?  
Adam knows Takashi is the best pilot and cadet that the Garrison has. Adam also knows that Takashi would do great things in his life but Adam just thought he’d be there, by Takashi’s side, for all of those things. Not on Earth as Takashi is exploring the universe for years. Adam is feeling abandoned and crushed and lonely and betrayed but still so so in love.  
He didn’t want to let go of Takashi and didn’t know if he could wait for him to come back after years. Adam didn’t know if he would be the same person, he didn’t know if Takashi would be the same person. Time changes people and their situations and Adam knows that for a fact. He didn't know how he would tell Takashi but Adam knows he can’t promise to wait for him, he has to live his own life, whether that’s with Takashi or without.  
The days following when Takashi broke the news were fragile and quiet. The two men didn’t talk as much as they did before, both processing how they’re going to live their lives after this mission. They tip toe around each other in their own home and still sleep in the same bed but not with arms around each other.  
Adam sits in the teachers lounge one day between classes when Takashi walks in and slumps onto the couch. Adam looks up from the book he’s reading and says, “Everything okay?”   
“Iverson thinks I shouldn’t be part of the mission.” Takashi says without hesitation. Adam can tell he’s disappointed and mad but he can’t help but recognize the rush of relief that goes through him when he thinks about Takashi staying here with him.  
Adam pushes on and suggests that the commanders are right and that Takashi shouldn’t go on this mission, it’s too risky and Adam only wants what’s best for him.  
“You know how important this is to me, it’s worth the risk.” Takashi says, voice strained.  
Adam couldn’t believe what he was saying right now. Was this mission so important to Takashi that he would really abandon Adam and the life they had here? Everything they built together from when they were fifteen years old, all the love they had that just grew over the years; Takashi would really just throw that away?   
“Takashi, how important am I to you?” That’s all Adam can think to say with all these extra thoughts whizzing through his head. Adam reminds him that he’s been by Takashi’s side for all these years, for everything that he’s done. He doesn’t understand how Takashi doesn’t see that; does he really not see him?  
Adam gets angrier and angrier as the conversation continues and he knows he can’t hold in this one thought any longer, it’s the one thing that he’s been dreading, agonizing to say out loud because he thought Takashi would maybe change his mind, “I know I can’t stop you but I won’t go through this again. So if you decide to go, don’t expect me to be here when you get back.”  
Adam says this and can’t wait for Takashi’s response because he knows he’ll burst into tears, so he leaves and lets a few tears fall down his face as he walks and walks and walks until he doesn’t know where he’s going anymore but he just needs to get away.

Three years later  
The decision

Adam looks in his mirror as he adjusts the purple tie around his neck. He’s getting ready for a date with a guy that he met at some coffee shop. He knows it sounds cliche and cheesy to flirt with a guy he saw at a coffee shop but Adam has been trying to put himself out there and date ever since… well…  
As he sits at the dinner table across from some guy he barely knew, pretending to listen to some childhood story, Adam can’t help but think about Takashi. He doesn’t even know how his mind gets to him but it somehow always did when he went on dates with different men. He can’t help but think of Takashi sitting across from him, watching the way his mouth moves when he’s speaking or the way his eyes crinkle up at the sides when he’s laughing or the way he looks at Adam when he speaks like he’s the only other person in his universe.   
Adam is brought back to reality when the man across from him stares at him expectantly. Adam comments on his story in the most generic way and hopes he wasn’t too obvious in his state of daydreaming (though he knew he was).   
The date ended and Adam got home feeling the way he did after all the dates he has been on in the past three years; empty, alone and homesick. Adam has finally had enough. He knew, deep down, the answer to stop feeling like this after so many years. The answer had kind, brown eyes, dark hair and a smile that had Adam melting in a matter of seconds.   
Adam wanted to wait. He wanted to wait for Takashi to come home to him. No, he didn’t know if Takashi would even want him back but he had to try, he had to wait and see and even if Takashi didn’t want him. Maybe Adam would get some closure. Maybe, then, he could move on with his life but right now, all he wanted was Takashi.

One Year Later  
The Reunion

Adam could cry he’s so happy. He was staring at the love of his life and he barely recognized him with the new platinum white hair, scar across the bridge of his nose and no right arm at all, just a stump of metal where his shoulder should be. But that was him, the same dopey smiled, honey brown eyed boy that Adam fell so in love with all those years ago. He was here, standing in front of Adam; he was home.

Four years. It’s been four years since Adam has seen Takashi and now, suddenly, he’s coming home. Adam heard the news from Commander Holt himself and the moment Adam heard that team voltron is coming home, that Takashi is coming home, he tuned out everything else around him.  
It’s as if the moment he heard the name “Takashi” and the word “home” in the same sentence, Adam’s brain knew what it meant and could only think of one person. Adam’s knees went weak and his breath hitched in his throat as he tried to process the thought of seeing Takashi again after all these years. The first feeling that flooded him was relief; the strongest sense of relief he’s ever felt in his life. He was relieved Takashi was alive, he was relieved that he was finally coming home, that Adam would finally get to hold him in his arms again.  
Wait.   
Would Takashi still want him? Will he remember what they had together? Had Takashi moved on? Would he remember how much Adam loved him? Still loves him?   
So many thoughts and questions were running through his head at this moment that he didn’t hear Commander Holt say anything else except that they were coming home in one week.  
One week. Okay, Adam had one week to get himself together before he sees the man he loves after four years of him being in space and a defender of the universe. Easy.  
There was nothing Adam would do that week that wouldn’t make him think of Takashi. Driving to the Garrison to teach his class in the morning, thinking about Takashi sitting in the passenger seat talking adamantly about the kids he’s teaching. Cooking dinner, thinking about how Takashi would always come up behind Adam when he was at the stove, put his arms around his waist and breathe in the scent of what was cooking. Even just brushing his teeth, he would think of Takashi standing next to him, also brushing his teeth and making funny faces at Adam in the tiny mirror on the wall.  
Adam even thought about Keith. Keith was like a little brother to him after Takashi introduced them. He was a quiet fourteen year old kid, reserved but stone cold if you got on his bad side. Adam eventually figured out that Keith wasn’t as “stone cold” as he looked to be; yes, Keith had a dark past that was very lonely and full of anger but once Takashi met him and took him under his wing, Keith had been better. Adam could tell that Takashi broke down his walls as much as he did for Adam. Adam loved talking to Keith about battle strategies and sword combat and the desert and the endlessness of space. Keith was probably the smartest kid he’s ever met. So Adam was over the moon when he heard that Keith would be coming home too, Adam and Takashi were pretty much the only family he had and Adam wasn’t about to let him down.

The day was finally here; the day Takashi is coming home. The week was long, full of buzzing thoughts in Adam’s head. He was restless the whole week and could barely get anything done when all he could think about is Takashi. But Adam honestly didn’t care because he would finally be seeing his love again.  
Adam was invited to be there when Voltron lands at the Garrison along with the families of the other Paladins. He looks around him and sees many Garrison security surrounding the area and commander Iverson and Admiral Sanda to his right. Adam also saw a large, golden skinned family with what looked like brothers and sisters and aunts and uncles, they all looked happy and on the verge of tears. He sees Commander Holt and his wife, Adam knows they’re gonna be seeing their daughter soon. Then there was him. The only one who came to see Takashi return, he was his only family.  
As Adam fidgeted with the hem of his Garrison uniform, he saw the rovers. Large, four-wheeled vehicles were let into the Garrison perimeter and Adam knew exactly what was in them. He felt himself start to sweat and get a buzzing feeling throughout his whole body, he wasn’t sure if that was due to nervousness or excitement or what, but he decided that it was a good kind of buzz.   
The rovers finally stopped in front of everyone and he could feel the emotion in the air. Adam could feel everyone holding their breath as they were about to see their loved one for the first time in four years, after they all thought they disappeared, even died.   
Adam stood and watched as the large doors opened and out flew the green paladin, Pidge. She flew right into her mother’s arms and commander Holt followed after. Then came the blue and yellow paladins, Lance and Hunk, they watched as their friend was reunited with her family. As they watched, someone yelled “Lance!” the blue paladin looked over and immediately broke into the widest grin, stretching across all of his face. He ran clumsily over to his family, collapsing on the ground and opening his arms, welcoming the dog pile forming on top of him. It seemed like the yellow paladins family wasn’t here because he got a sympathetic look from commander Holt, looking fearful and sad.   
But then, Adam saw him. Adam saw the broad shoulders and curved nose and even those eyes all the way from where he was standing. He was helping a woman with platinum white hair out of the rover right beside the other. Adam recognized Takashi even if he was pretty unrecognizable after four years. He now had platinum white hair and a dark scar running horizontally across the bridge of his nose but what threw Adam off the most was his right arm. Or lack of an arm, he should say. But even with things missing or gained, Adam could still tell it was his Takashi, the love of his life.   
Adam didn’t know what to do, he couldn’t move and he sure as hell couldn’t speak. He was so starstruck with the man in front of him that he couldn’t bring himself to do anything except stare. Adam stared and stared, watching as Takshi kept up a conversation with the woman he helped off the rover. Adam stared and stared until Takashi was looking at Lance and his family, hugging on the ground, then up at Hunk who was slowly tearing up at the thought of his family. Adam stared and stared until Takashi was looking at commander Iverson and admiral Sanda directly to Adam’s right. Adam stared and stared until Takashi made eye contact with him.  
The moment Takashi looked at him, everything froze. Everything around him went to nothing as he looked at the black paladin, who was staring right back at him, eyes wide, eyebrows pinched and mouth slightly parted. Adam’s heart rate spiked as he saw Takashi take a step forward, towards him. Adam felt himself being pulled towards this man and couldn’t stop his feet from taking slow steps forward. Takashi kept walking and so did Adam and neither of them slowed down until they were practically sprinting towards one another, tears leaking from the corners of their eyes.   
Adam crashed into Takashi and felt the cold of his armor on his chest but the warmness and security of Takashi’s arm around him. Adam threw his arms around Takashi’s neck, probably choking him but Adam couldn’t care less. He was home, he was here in his arms and Adam couldn’t be happier.   
They stayed like that for a long while, Takashi eventually planting Adam’s feet back onto the ground but didn’t dare let him stray from his chest. Adam felt the soft heaves of Takashi’s chest as he cried into the crook of his neck, feeling each breath as it flowed so warmly on his skin. Adam felt hot tears roll down his face, getting caught in Takashi’s hair and skin, but he didn’t care.   
“Takashi.” Was all Adam could say through his cracking voice.  
“Adam.” Takashi whispered back.   
“I can’t believe you’re here.” Adam choked.   
“I can’t believe you waited for me.” He said, his voice cracking.  
“Of course I waited, I will always wait for you, Takashi.” Adam said as he pulled back in the slightest, only so he could be face to face with the other man. Adam couldn’t believe he was looking into those honey brown eyes again, they he was here, right in front of him.  
Takashi’s hand slid up his back and rested on Adam’s jaw, cupping it gently, “And i’ll always come back for you, Adam.”   
Adam leaned forward and rested his forehead against Takashi’s, breathing in every breath he let out and letting the warmth of the other man surround him and consume him until it was the only thing in Adam’s world. Adam wasn’t sure if Takashi wanted to kiss him but he tilted his chin up ever so slightly to make it easy for Takashi to just lean down a little and brush their lips together. Luckily, Takashi noticed this move from years ago and went with it. He leaned down and pressed his lips onto Adam’s. And wow. How he’s missed this feeling of having someone’s lips fit perfectly with yours, like their mouths were specifically made for each others. Takashi breathed out and Adam moved his lips against his, pressing himself deeper into Takashi’s touch. The two men melded together like this was their second nature, like this was routine.   
Adam tangled his fingers in Takashi’s hair, feeling the softness of it once again. He cupped Takashi’s face, feeling the warmness of it once again. He ran his hand along Takashi’s bicep, feeling the firmness of it once again. He was feeling everything again, learning this man again, falling in love once again.  
The two pulled apart and the moment they did, everyone around them was cheering and whooping. Adam and Takashi smiled and laughed but not once took their eye off one another.   
“Shiro is dating professor Adam?!” Lance yelled.  
“Awe! Shiro, why didn’t you tell us about your handsome friend?” The woman with white hair asked jokingly in a posh, british accent.   
“Hey, Adam.” He heard Keith say quietly and thoughtfully. Adam giggled at that a little bit but still couldn’t bring himself to look away from Takashi.  
Finally Takashi whispered, “Let me introduce you to my other family.”   
Adam smiled so wide and nodded. Takashi introduced him to Lance and Hunk once again, though Adam had them in his class as cadets. Then Pidge, commander holt’s daughter. Then the two aliens (Alteans?) Allura, the one Takashi helped off the rover and Coran, who had a big orange mustache and a very lively personality. Adam shook all of their hands and smiled at them, happy to meet all these people that kept Takashi safe all these years.   
Then he came to Keith, who waved sheepishly at Adam like he was afraid he wouldn’t remember him. Adam pulled Keith into a big hug and Keith returned it quickly. This felt familiar and comforting, “Thanks for taking care of Takashi for me.”   
“Always” Keith said, voice breaking a bit, “It’s good see you again, Adam.”  
“It’s really good to see you too, Keith.” Adam said and pulled back, ruffling his hair like he used to when Keith was a kid.   
They all laughed and eventually split into their own conversations again, catching up with family or meeting new people. Adam turned to Takashi again and was met with brown eyes looking him over, “What are you thinking about?”   
“Just how much I missed you.” Takashi said and snaked his arm around Adam’s waist, pulling him closer so their entire side was connected.   
Adam giggled and laid his head on Takashi’s shoulder, watching everyone interact and mingle. This could not have felt more right to Adam, being with Takashi again, getting to look into his eyes and feel his hair again and listen to his voice again and kiss his lips again. It feels like a dream that Adam could wake up from at any moment. But it’s not. This is real, Takashi really is with him and Adam is gonna do everything in his power to keep it that way. He won’t be losing him again, Adam is going to stick by Takashi’s side and love him for the rest of his days. Adam isn’t going to let his home slip away from him again.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading my first post on AO3! I've always loved Adashi and thought that vld did Adam so dirty so I needed to fix it. Also, the title for this story is a lyric from Meteor Shower by Cavetown. Go check it out, it's such a good song and I think it represents Adam's thoughts really well. Thanks again for reading :)


End file.
